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The Braun range of Silk-épil epilators are less painful then any of the other half dozen epilator brands I've tried over the years, because the epilators have extra-wide heads on them in comparison to models by other brands; as the wide head covers a larger area, I don't have to keep running the epilator over and over the same area of skin, which makes it faster then most other epilators to use. However; the main selling point of Silk-épil is that you can use it in the bath or shower, as well as using it on dry skin. Being in warm water means that you'll be less tense during use, which equals less discomfort. You'll only feel a slight sensation; it's like pinging an elastic band against your skin.

Silk-épil also hurts less when used on dry skin because the epilator has massaging attachment, to further relax your nerves and muscles. In fact, it's so much gentler then other epilators that it's also suitable for underarms, the bikini line and the face [although if you're nervous about using it on more sensitive areas, like these, you can remove the epilating head and attach the included shaver head]. Another simple yet effective feature is the built in light near the head of the epilator, that's help you see any hair you've missed.

The hairs begin to grow back after nearly a fortnight with me, but I do have very fast growing hair, so the results can last up to six weeks on other people. They are so fine when they do grow back; if you're in a rush for work etc you could just wear skin tone tights. No-one will be able to tell you're having an `off' day! When the hairs regrow it'll be at different speeds, so it's really just a case of touching up now and then. As its just a few hairs at a time, it doesn't hurt at all. I find epilating a lot preferable to waxing; you don't need to wait a few weeks for the hair to grow long enough for the wax to be able to pick it up and, besides, I think that this hurts less. Plus; You won't cut yourself, like with razors. Isn't that annoying? Having to shave every other day, the nicking your leg so you have to cover up anyway? Also; consider how much you spend on waxing, razors and shaving foam over time - this epilator pays for itself hundreds of times, over the years.

Finally; While the Braun Silk-épil isn't the cheapest epilator available, the included features are very useful and the gimmicks really do make the hair removal process less painful. This model is quick to charge [about 30 minutes for 40 minutes worth of battery power], and as I've had a Braun Silk-épil before (I dropped it onto a tiled floor), I can vouch for how well the battery lasts over time.

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I'll start by being honest; epilators aren't meant to be pain free, but you will become tolerant to it, and will hardly notice it after a few uses.

The biggest points in this epilator's favour is the speed, ease of use, and how well it holds it charge [over an hour]. The tweezers will pick up shorter hairs, no matter which direction they're laying in, and I'm left-handed and had no problem gripping & operating this.

The skin tautening attachment thingie is a total gimmick, and doesn't really affect the hair removal process for me. However the epilator can be used in the bath or shower, and warm water = you're more relaxed. This will lessen the discomfort of the epilation process; it's like pinging an elastic band against your skin.

As well as the epilators, caps, and razor head you also get a fantastic pair of tweezers. Tweezers are just tweezers aren't they? Nope. These tweezers have a light in between the prongs to help you see the finer hairs. You can use the tweezers anywhere.

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The hairs begin to grow back after nearly a fortnight with me, but I do have very fast growing hair, so the results can last up to six weeks on other people. They are so fine when they do grow back; if you're in a rush for work you could just wear skin tone tights. No-one will be able to tell you're having an `off' day! When the hairs regrow it'll be at different speeds, so it's really just a case of touching up now and then. As its just a few hairs at a time, it doesn't hurt at all.

I find epilating a lot preferable to waxing; you don't need to wait a few weeks for the hair to grow long enough for the wax to be able to pick it up & besides, I think that this hurts less. Plus; You won't cut yourself, like with razors. Isn't that annoying? Having to shave every other day, then nicking your leg so you have to cover up anyway?

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I do understand why the makers of Glowing are holding it up as a "evolution of Glow" - both fragrances are what I'd describe as fresh & clean - but don't confuse that as meaning that the two fragrances are going to be the same. They aren't - Glow is bolder and is 'clean' as in meaning soapy, whereas Glowing is closer to the skin and is 'clean' as in meaning uncluttered.

Glowing is great for when I don't want to wear overwhelmingly sweet, spicy, smoky or powerful floral perfume, but still want to wear a nicely structured, long lasting fragrance with a woody base. Glowing avoids the fresh n' sweet fruit punch aspects that are common in the J.Lo perfumes, going for fresh & herbal instead, so comes of as more adult in comparison, and makes me feel more put-together and polished but not overdone.

There is also a definite hint of something minty in the background, that lasts the entire life (5-6 hours) of the fragrance too.

Whilst I wouldn't say I love Glowing I do really like it, wear it regularly and will buy it again as it is a highly wearable seasonless, uncluttered & clean fragrance. Glowing has a perfect balance of masculine and feminine scent notes; both men and women can wear it, at any time of the year. It is quite linear which will disappoint people, but I've developed a thing for simpler fragrances, so I like this aspect.

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Kiss Me Once is the twelfth studio album by Kylie Minogue, and is her first album under her new management team [Jay Z's Roc Nation]. I'll not tapdance around things - this album is a real disappointment for me. I personally think that all of Kylie's albums since Light Years have been "meh", but there are usually a handful of songs that I've found enjoyable on each one, and with Kylie also changing management just before the bulk of work began on this album, I was expecting at least four decent tracks this time too...

My main issue is that there's not variety in the style of the lyrics on the album. The tone and content of the songs all fit into one of two themes from beginning to end. They really needed to mix the lyrical content and style up more since the pace of the synth pop music is the same throughout the album [except for Beautiful which was a bit of a slower pace]. Everything flows together too well most of the time; making a lot of individual tracks forgettable in the jumble of loud noise the album becomes.

The other thing that bothered me; Kylie's vocals. She's famous for her sweet, innocent, almost childlike vocals, but at times this effect seems too forced and nasal. It is something that has been getting more noticeable on each album, and now it has reached the point that it has begun to irritate me. Quite a few of the tracks also use a large amount of autotune, which just strips away any personality from the songs.

A track by track breakdown isn't needed for this review: The whole album is musically monotone - basically it's all about relationships and sex. Kylie herself has only co-wrote one album track [Fine].

The Pharrell Williams penned and produced I Was Gonna Cancel is the only track that I can say isn't about a relationship in one way or another (he wrote in after she became stressed out and started crying during recording sessions), and even that is nothing more then empty noise as far as I'm concerned. I'm still not sure if Kylie is telling herself, a boyfriend or a friend that they're going to be okay in the over-repetitive Fine - that song could go any way...

Lead single Into The Blue and duet [with Enrique Inglesias] Beautiful are the only two tracks that have proven to be in any way memorable for me - and even then I wouldn't say I'm really keen on them. Heck if the were on any of Kylie's previous albums I'd probably call them filler tracks.

The rest of the album? I've kept listening to everything ever since they leaked to when my CD arrived hoping that the songs will grow on me, but I just forget everything about the other songs within fifteen minutes of listening to them.

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I bought the MASTER SMOKEY on a 3 for 2 in Boots, after reading/hearing loads of good things about the product. Was it a good buy?

I found the MASTER SMOKEY is easy to apply, as it doesn''t drag across my eyelid or scratch the sensitive skin and the line applies with a even colour in one stroke. It is also easy to smudge the colour out. This is where my problems start, as it is too easy to smoke out - the smudger works more like an eraser for me.

Rather then this being a fast and easy alternative to using eyeshadow, I find myself having to take ten minutes blending, shaping and layering my MASTER SMOKEY until I get a nice, wearable look. Then comes problem two; this is NOT ''long lasting''. I''ll look in the mirror after about six hours and there will just be a little colour in my crease, the rest of the liner will have vanished. My skin is dry and setting the liner with powder makes no difference. I can set it with eyeshadow, but that defeats the purpose of using this for creating a smokey look in the first place.

To be a bit positive; the feel of the ''lead'' of the pencil itself during application is very nice; not too hard, not too soft.

As well as the feel of the pencil I love the product''s colours [I have black, grey and navy] and think that the pigmentation of the product is great - really vivid. It''s especially nice to find a black pencil liner that truly applies as black, rather then charcoal.

At the end of the day I think that the size of the pencil, and the price (6 GBP) of it is pretty bad for using MASTER SMOKY purely as a liner when there are so many cheaper alternatives available, so that sort of cancels out the plus points.

I do still use my MASTER SMOKY liners since I spent my money on them, but they''ve not grown on me during the year that I''ve had them. To other people I''d recommend trying Rimmel''s kohl pencils over these; they are cheaper, and can be smudged out across your lids better, if that''s the look you want.

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On first application I found GLOW AFTER DARK to be very sweet and fruity thanks to the listed passionfruit and lychee - plus I can pick out some mango, coconut and what smells like strawberry. Most of the J.Lo Glow flankers are sweet and fruity, but this time the fruits border on being too sweet, and this fruity mix did start to get to me after a few wears.
The top notes of passionfruit and berries apply strongly and last through the perfume''s heart and base phrases. I normally like sweeter fragrances, but this is very artificial. The top phase is long lasting and lasts partially through the heart notes. The fruit is too strong for me to pick up on most of the individual floral notes in the heart, apart from the orange blossom.Two of the key scent notes - neroli and orange blossom - that are in GLOW AFTER DARK are the same as the original GLOW, but this fails to remind me of the clean sophistication of the original.
I adore the soft base. The gentle notes of what I think is cypress and sandalwood mix with the remaining fruits and musk, and finally gave me a sense of the original and still the best (in my opinion) Glow with the simple, uncluttered, cleanness.
Scent notes: Passionfriut, lychee ice, pink peony, orange flower, blond woods & soft pink musk.
For a fragrance that applies so strongly and sweet the lasting power isn''t that great; It burns down within five hours on me. As the name suggests GLOW AFTER DARK is best suited as evening wear. It''s too full on for casual use and too sweet for work - if you work closely to other people I doubt that they''re thank you for wearing so invasive around them.
All in all, I find GLOW AFTER DARK to be a younger, sweeter version of MIAMI GLOW. It''s a shame that Coty decided to make the fruit notes the sole focus, as I love the base, and if the middle floral notes had been more developed then I think that it''s likely that the fragrance wouldn''t have turned sickly on me.
GLOW AFTER DARK was a limited edition release so it''s become hard to find it in stores, although it does sometimes pop up in Superdrug and TK Maxx. Many online sellers still stock it in the 50ml bottles.
Thanks to third party sellers on Amazon you can still easily find the 7.5ml, 30ml, as well as the 50ml bottles. The prices constantly change between 10 GBP and 20 GBP. The 100ml bottle goes for between 30 GBP and 40 GBP.
There is also matching shower gel and shimmery body lotion available on Amazon in 200ml bottles, which usually come in under 10GBP.

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"the hour of hush and wonder, when the affectations glow and valor is reborn, when the shadows deepen along the edge of the forest and we believe that, if we watch carefully, at any moment we may see the unicorn" - ''The Hour'' by Bernard DeVoto

VELVET HOUR is a smoky evening fragrance. I did like the overall impression it creates, even though it is so well-blended I can''t separate most of the individual scent notes in it. I''d say that VELVET HOUR is a rich oriental fragrance, with a vintage-type powdery floral undertone to it. Overall I think that it gives an exciting contrast between feminine and masculine accords.

When I first apply VELVET HOUR I feel a bit overwhelmed as all of the scent notes seem to develop at the same time. At first the only notes in the jumble that I can place with any certainty are the listed pepper and nutmeg. After ten minutes or so things calm down, to reveal a powdery floral mix. Aside from the freesia I think that there must be rose to give that sweetly powdered air to the fragrance, and I believe that I can pick out some jasmine too.

The dry down more then makes up for the busy start to the fragrance for me, and it lasts for hours; it''s a dark blend of e smoked wood, which mixes wonderfully with the lingering incense and earthy patchouli.

VELVET HOUR has a strong longevity and sillage, which holds up with many high-end brands. For example I remember applying it shortly before going Christmas shopping and eating out, and I could still clearly smell it when I came back home and changed seven hours or so later.

Unfortunately for me, I began to suffer from my usual migraines and sickness whenever I wore this, so I had to give my bottle away. As a result of my experiences with it, I''d strongly advice sticking to wearing VELVET HOUR on chilly autumn/winter evenings as it is stronger and louder then the other Kate Moss fragrances.

I didn''t feel overdone wearing it on cold days - not for work though as the fragrance is fairly strong and carries, so your colleagues probably wouldn''t thank you for wearing it.

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"In this book of original, behind-the-scenes photographs, acclaimed photographer Terry Richardson follows superstar Lady Gaga during one year of her life, from Lollapalooza through the final show of her Monster Ball tour. During the time period he followed Gaga, Richardson took over 100,000 images and attended more than 30 Monster Ball dates around the world.

From the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards to the Don''t Ask, Don''t Tell repeal rally in Portland, Maine, to the Thierry Mugler show at Maxime, Paris, Richardson captures Lady Gaga as you''ve never seen her before. A year-long global odyssey- -all access, nothing off limits--this is the book Lady Gaga fans have been waiting for."

I''ll go ahead and warn you all now; LADY GAGA X is a photography book, so photos are what you get. So looking at the book with that in mind I''m pleased. There are over 450 black/white and full colour photographs, in a good mixture of posed and candid shots. When I say candid, I mean candid - no makeup or wigs, when she''s brushing her teeth and hooked up to a IV drip.

I was very pleased that none of the photos appear to have been retouched - on one photo you can see that Lady Gaga''s fake tan is a bit streaky and in other photographs her lipstick is smudged. I wanted to see ''real life'' of a major celebrity on the road, so am delighted that the airbrushing has been left to a magazine''s art department.

What could have made this book better in my eyes would be if Terry had included some text to accompany the photos; loads of the pics show Lady Gaga stood next to unfamiliar faces, so those photos have no impact on me. She is crying in several photos. Happy tears? Was she unwell? One photo shows her onstage somewhere with a girl talking into a microphone. Where was she - on tour, or at an event or awards show? Who is the girl? What are the two of them talking about?

Many of the photos have left me with niggling questions, so the absence of even little notes or copies of newspaper/magazine articles to accompany the more thought provoking images is a disappointment. For me the photos didn''t tell the complete story.

I''ve just bought my copy from a discount bookshop [The Works] for 7.99 and for the money have no real complaints with the book. I''ve made a large saving on the RRP, so I can just about overlook my lingering questions.

However if I''d paid the full RRP [35.00] I''d be very unhappy with the complete lack of text and would give LADY GAGA X three stars.

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I hesitate to refer to Soap & Glory''s Love At First Blush as a straightforward blush; it consists of strips of a pearly off-white highlight, two soft bronze shades, a rose gold, and a baby pink shade of shimmery powder in one pan. You sweep your brush over all four shades at once for a three-in-one soft bronze/blush/highlight.

The resulting pinkish bronze shade gives a luminous glow - which is perfect for my very fair skin, as most bronzers just turn out orange on me. I''d say that this can be worn all year round, but I''ll mainly use it in spring and summer as it is very shimmery and glowy. The formula is great; it lasts all day on me, but be aware that all four shades are light and they are all shimmery.

I''ve also used the individual colour slices as eyeshadow quite a few times - the soft bronze shades flatter my fair skin and really gives my blue eyes more of a pop. The individual colour slices are too thin to use as individual blush/bronzers, although I can use the highlight shade with a tiny brush.

One last thing; I do have very fair and cool-toned skin, so the soft, averagely pigmented colours show up easily on me, but I don''t think this product will show up on medium or dark skintones, as the shades are all light. At the moment Soap & Glory only make this compact in the one shade selection, but as it has proven popular hopefully they''ll soon bring out more colours [they do make two shades of a similar product; their ''Blush Brick''].

Overall I think Love At First Blush is similar to Too Faced Pink Leopard, but even though I still think Pink Leopard is better overall as the shimmer isn''t as obvious so I feel comfortable wearing it all year round, I will still definitely maybe re-buy this version if/when I need to for a spring/summer glow as it is cheaper and you get more product for your money.

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"On the evening of Sofia Claremont''s seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia''s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? Or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met?"

First things first; Sofia makes for a very likable heroine, which is good as the book features her POV in alternating chapters. She isn''t a coward, but she doesn''t wander around putting herself in a endless loop of dangerous situations and she knows when to back the hell away. She isn''t anyone''s doormat, but she realizes that sometimes she''ll be better off keeping silent. In other words she doesn''t irritate me by being a dumb, horror movie-like bimbo, whilst still having vulnerabilities to go with her backbone, so you''ll never be sure that she''ll walk away from the incoming disaster in one piece.

Sofia also manages to squeeze in a bit of romance. So if you like romantic angles in your books, the author has you covered. I don''t mind a bit of romance in my non-romance books - as long as it doesn''t start to distract from the main story and, I always go on about this I know, as long as we can avoid the usual cliques, e.g. love triangles. A SHADE OF VAMPIRE ticks all of those boxes for me, so it''s all good on that score.

The only compliant I can think is that I don''t like Ben, but that is down to my personal preference and has nothing to do with the actual writing. Hmmm; I also wish that that book was longer?

I think that A SHADE OF VAMPIRE successfully straddles the line between a young adult and adult book; the plot mixes drama, horror, action and romance together successfully, and the book is less then 200 pages long, so it makes a fast, engaging read - perfect for a lazy afternoon or a train/plane journey [the sequel is apparently twice the length of this book].

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"Vibrant, charming, whimsical Daisy Eau So Fresh is the spirited new version of the original Daisy. It transports you to a place that is happy and sunny"

This evening let''s check out a birthday present that has been regulated to my wardrobe shelf: Daisy so Fresh is meant to be a completely different fragrance from the original Daisy, but in all honesty I''ve found it to be very similar...

A major way in which the two fragrances are similar is the way that this surprised me with its lightness. I was expecting something a bit bolder and slightly tart based on the list of scent notes; but It is just a simple, mild mix of berries, violets, powdery rose and vanilla on me; It seems very watered down thanks to the long lasting pear note. What I guess to be the ''green notes'' is a faint undertone of something that reminds me of trekking through the woods after the rain - this is the only real difference I''ve noticed between and Daisy.

I guess as this fragrance has ''fresh'' in the title I can''t really complain that it is light and watery, but I can''t detect any real changes between the top, heart and base notes - everything seems jumbled together.

Aside from this edition''s close similarities with the original Daisy, my main complaint with Daisy so Fresh is the poor longevity; within three hours I had to press my wrist against my nose and could only get a faint sense of vanilla and musk.

The light, airy fragrance is ideal for the warmer weather, although I do wear mine all year round - when I remember that I have it.

Daisy so Fresh can be worn to work, weekends and would be a good choice for crowded parties, when a stronger fragrance could cause headaches and/or dizziness.

I never reviewed this before as I can''t separate any of the floral notes out - aside from the listed violet and rose, so it''s a pretty boring review.

For the short time it lasts Daisy so Fresh is clean, airy and very feminine, but one problem I had was boredom. Light fruit and vanilla is nothing new, and the notes were so mild they didn''t capture any attention. It was a gift, so I wore it and didn''t dislike it, but I''d never pay money for this - it wears like a body spray.

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"Embodying sun-kissed petals carried by an ocean breeze, island fantasy is inspired by Britney''s ideal paradise ? a remote island where she can relax and rejuvenate with her loved ones. The scent channels the warmth and playful spirit of the tropics, and brings an island escape to everyday life"

The mandarin is the strongest fruit note on me and, and coupled with the raspberry, gives the fragrance a soft, fuzzy feel. The lemon gives the quieter fruit a bit of bite and energy.
The floral notes used in ISLAND FANTASY remain watery and in the background. There is a breeze of orange blossom, freesia and occasional hint of violet underneath it all, but none of the floral notes are truly strong enough to stand out from the fruits for long. This is definitely a fruity perfume.
There is no strong indication between the heart notes and the base, thanks to the constant trickle of summery fruits. I''m sure there is some sandalwood here, as after a few hours ISLAND FANTASY begins to remind me of J.Lo Love & Glamour, which uses bucket loads of it. I also detect a coconut scent too.
Official Scent notes: citruses, mandarin, clementine, red berries, jasmine, violet, freesia, musk and sugar cane.

ISLAND FANTASY wears well for a mass market EDT - it does go close to the skin fairly quickly, but a faint woody scent is still detectable five hours later. So yeah; this is quieter and doesn''t wear as long as the rest of the Fantasy line, so beware of that.
I''ll mainly stick to wearing it on ''casual'' days, but you could get away with wearing it to work if you wanted to. As it seems like casual day-wear I''ve not used it in the evening or for going out. Then again who cares if the bottle says ''Britney Spears'' or ''Robert Piguet''? If the juice is something you like, then that is all that matters.
with most of the focus being placed on the summery fruits I can''t see this being appealing in colder weather, since most fruit heavy fragrances generally seem watery and sickly in cold air [on me anyway] and EDT concentrations generally have shorter ''lives'' in the cold.

Overall: ISLAND FANTASY is pleasant and easy to wear and I will happily continue to use my bottle, but this isn''t a fragrance I''d choose to buy for myself; whilst it is easy to wear and inoffensive to other people, it is also a bit too generic for my tastes.
The Britney Spears perfumes have all been well made. I''ve found a few to be "meh", but even though they haven''t been to my taste, the overall quality of them was impressive.

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?Life is a flirt. Love is a game. The sky is your limit. Beyonce Pulse Summer Edition gives you a burst of the inexplicable energy you feel during the Summer. It will leave you feeling great, ready to conquer anything, as if nothing and no one could ever resist you."

The thing that made the original Pulse stand out from the crowd was the accords of Curacao liqueur in it, which PULSE SUMMER leaves out, so I knew right away that I wouldn't love it. I'm not sure if there is a hint of coconut in the mix, but I sometimes think I can sniff some caught up in with the mandarin. I also catch a watery pear note, but the pepper remains undetectable to me.

'Ginger orchid' is a fancy way of saying ginger infused with vanilla, so PULSE SUMMER does become a slightly bit spicy after twenty minutes or so. From here on out PULSE SUMMER is the same as the original Pulse; the florals are watery, fresh and mild, and a hint of fruit hangs around. The only floral note that I can place with any kind of certainty is the jasmine note, but it does seem a bit underdeveloped - the reminder of the pear note does dilute everything.

The base is a bit dull as it's the standard vanilla (benzoin), sandalwood ('sapphirewood') and breeze of musk mix. To be fair a bit of the 'ginger orchid' does stick around for a bit, so there is a bit more life for most of PULSE SUMMER's wear.

As the floral notes are largely underdeveloped, its no shock that the lasting power of PULSE SUMMer isn't the best around five hours, on average. Not great, but it's a step up from the likes of Heat, Heat Rush, Heat: MCSWTLE & Rise.

I think that this is best suited to use for day wear, as the notes are fairly mild. To me it is too soft for evening/special occasions, but you could wear pretty much anywhere, anytime; it's not too floral or too fruity and the sweetness is creamy, not syrupy.

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I love very other product I''ve tried in the Revlon Photoready line, so I thought that the cream blushes would be just as good and bought two [Pinched and Flushed] at the same time. A buy that I''m beginning to regret. I''m reluctant to say that this a bad product, as the formula is top-notch in how well it applies; it so extremely easy to blend into skin, perhaps too good...

Pinched is a peachy shade, that looks lovely in the pot but barely shows up on my fair skin. I have the skintone of Casper, so I was really surprised that the shade barely shows up. I''ve tried layering the colour, but as the product blends so well on skin, layering it makes no difference; the formula seems to just melt away into my skin.

The way the formula blends so well and melts explains my problem with Charmed. Charmed is a bright pink, that looks scary in the pot, but applies as a sheer and wearable brightening pink. I fell in love with this colour as soon as I applied it, so I was upset by the lasting power; the blush can barely last five/six hours on skin - and my skin is very dry. I''ve tried setting the blush with powder, but the doesn''t make any difference, and defeats the purpose of using this rather then a powder blush in the first place.

I was so underwhelmed with the performance of the shades above that I''ve never bothered buying the third available shade, despite liking the colour when I swatched it in Boots. Coral Reef is a warm toned coral, and is similar to Charmed in that the shade applies a fair bit lighter then it appears in the pan. Judging by how sheer it applied, I''d guess that it will fade as quickly as Charmed does on me, so unless I see it on sale anywhere I just can''t justify the price.

I''ve rated the blushes 3 stars as I do still wear them - only on days I''ll just be out for a few hours, as they aren''t suitable for ''all day'' looks. Such a shame the colour pay off is so iffy, as they give my cheeks a nice luminous glow.

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SPARKLING SNOW is one of Yankee Candles ''Festive Collection'' fragrances and is officially described as "the crisp, naturally fresh scent of gleaming, snow-covered pines with hints of patchouli and fruit". I''d describe it as fresh mint and pine, with a undertone of patchouli, for a earthy bite. I''m not sure what the fruit is - sometimes I get a light breeze of what I think is cherry, but it is so faint that I can''t be sure.

I do enjoy the fragrance as it is fresh/clean, and the pine is very festive. I usually prefer Yankee''s sweet/spicy mixes for Christmas, but this is an exception. As with all Yankee candles, the entirety of the wax is perfumed; I''ve used some candles where the fragrance burns up before the candle does, but that is not the case here.

I''ve found that the tarts and tea lights throw off a stronger scent than the candles, so I think that they are the better buys. I personally prefer to use the tealights; as well as having a stronger fragrance, there''s the fact that for the price of a box of 12 scented tealights you get a total of 48 to 72 hours burn-time, so they offer the most value for money. The tealight costs less then 12 tarts or samplers would, so as well as being cheaper - and offering a similar burn time - then either the small jars and tumblers, and over half of the price less then the medium jars or tumblers.

The tealights come in individual clear plastic cups, so you don''t have to bother with a tealight holder if you don''t have one; just sit the cup on a saucer. Yankee do many special ranges of tealight holders all through the year - many of the decorate models are under 10.00, and their basic tealight holder can be found online for only 1.00, so it won''t cost as much as buying a tart burner.

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RRP
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Tart
[A tart is a wickless wax patty, so you''ll need to buy a tart burner to be able to use it]
6 - 8 hour burn time - 1.25 GBP